Sexual Harassment and Managers

According to website Lawyers and Settlements (2008), sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that classifies people based on their sex. These violates laws and human rights. However, when dealing with these cases, a lot of people tend to assume that only women experience this kind of harassment in a working environment. But the truth is, men could also be harassed. There are three kinds of sexual harassment. These are (1) Quid Pro Quo, (2) hostile environment and (3) sexual favoritism.

The first kind of sexual harassment deals with how supervisors requests sexual favors from co-workers, or employees beneath his position, in exchange of professional benefits. This can be attributed as promotion and increase in salary. Unfortunately, when the harassed does not answer to the advances of these supervisors, they risk the possibility of demotion or termination from the company. The second kind of sexual harassment is called hostile environment. These are the cases wherein the working environment is hindering the performance of the employee due to unwanted sexual advances and hints of supervisors to their staff members.

In contrast to the earlier kind of sexual harassment, this type focuses on how a group of people experiences this in the workplace. It

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is not just the performance of one person, a whole department, could be affected by the nature of the environment set by management. The third kind is called sexual favoritism. In selected states, this is an illegal set up in the workplace. This regards how those in management is romantically or sexually related to a co-worker or staff member. Because of how one could be immediately selected due to the relationship they have, other more deserving employees are not given the chance to redeem themselves.

The reason behind this case being illegal in the workplace is because of its nature. It implies that to get ahead of the other employees, one should have a relationship with the boss that is sexual in nature. When a person experiences any one of these kinds of sexual harassment, or when they feel that there is sexual coercion going on in the office, that individual should report it to top management or the Human Resource Representative. During these cases in the work place, the manager plays a vital role. He is not just the middleman in these cases. He also has a responsibility to the welfare of each employee.

Moreover, the manager takes a vital role in preventing sexual harassment cases from happening in the office. With that, what are the actions a manager could do? Online websites gave their suggestions regarding this matter. One of the most important actions managers should do is to have a well defined policies and procedures against it. It has been established that in any dilemma, the primary solution for it to not happen again is to have a set of policies to prevent it the next time. But if it persists, they should have available procedures for these employees to file a complaint against the harasser.

There are a lot of sexual harassment cases in organizations, however, because they did not have policies and procedures to find justice to the case, the predicament is not given enough light to given an appropriate deliberation and solution. The second suggestion is to have employees of all levels trained about the facts regarding sexual harassment. One of the best preventive measures managers can instill in their employees is to teach them. The logic behind this fact is that when people do not know what is already happening to them, they would not know that it was already a case of sexual harassment.

At least, when they know what is happening to them, they will be able to construct measures that would help resolve the problem. The third suggestion is to monitor the workplace. This is important for managers so that they will have substantial evidences in cases that these problems occur. This can be done when managers constantly talk with their employees by discussing matters that occur in the workplace. They should pay special attention to notes of displays which could be sexually offensive. Furthermore, showing to the employees that management is a body of the organization that they could approach them any time there is an issue.

Fourth, when approached with complaints, take it seriously. The employees need to feel that they are being taken care of by the company. Also, sexual harassment cases are always serious cases, regardless of how grave the advancements were. As long as the people were harassed at one point, it should be taken as an offensive crime. Furthermore, when cases are taken seriously, the victim would not have to feel neglected. Perhaps the most important action managers could do in cases of sexual harassment is to maintain a certain level of confidentiality.

This is for the protection of the victim, harasser and company. By keeping certain information, the victim will not have to feel pressured or overtly oppressed by the incident. He or she will not have to risk the reputation he or she would like to maintain. The harasser’s identity will not have to permanently damage his name. His or her family may not be as affected as well. More importantly, it protects the company. Having sexual harassment cases in the company could imply that the company does not choose its employees well enough to protect the other employees under their payroll.

By keeping the case confidential, they will be able to protect more stakeholders than when brought out to the public through different media. In conclusion, sexual harassment are evidences of sexual discrimination in the workplace. It has three kinds: quid pro quo, hostile environment and sexual favoritisms. However, to counter this destructive factor in an organization, there are suggested actions for the managers and/or employers. The first is to have explicit policies and procedures governing sexual harassment. Second, Have all employees, supervisors and staff, trained regarding the issue.

Third, monitor the workplace for sexual implications and its effects on the employees. Fourth, when a victim complains, take him seriously. Last, in the process of deliberating the issue, retain a certain level of confidentiality. The idea is to know the nature of sexual harassment so that precautionary measures can be established. However, it is not just about preventing it. Sexual harassment cases will happen at some point regardless of the preventive measures. There should be a means of solving the problem while protecting those involved.